Where Healing Begins
by NCISVU
Summary: Nine year old Anthony DiNozzo Junior has been through more in his short life than most adults have. Convinced that he's unwanted and unloved, he puts up a wall to protect himself from any more hurt. Little does he know a weekend with Gibbs is going to change his life forever. Gibbs/Tony. Father/Son. Kid!Tony.


**Author's Note:** This was written for the orphans prompt on both my ncis bingo card and my hurt/comfort bingo card.

* * *

**Where Healing Begins**

"That's it!" the irate woman screamed. "Pack your bags, young man, you're outta here!"

Delores Whitley had run the group home for boys for over a decade and never before had she come across a child quite like little Anthony DiNozzo Junior. In the month he'd spent there, he'd saran wrapped the toilet seats, covered the doorknobs in Vaseline, picked all her flowers and ruined every outing the boys had been taken on and he'd done it all with an innocent smile on his face, as if he'd done nothing wrong. The very realistic looking lump of fake dog feces in the soup she was making for lunch was the last straw. She couldn't take it anymore.

Tony smiled to himself as he grabbed his cardboard suitcase out from under his bed. He didn't have to pack because he'd never bothered unpacking when he moved in. He knew he wouldn't be there long. He never stayed in one place very long. He'd been bounced around from foster home to foster home and when none of them would take him he was put into the group home. He wondered where he'd end up next.

Delores grabbed Tony by the arm and dragged him out to her car. Tony continued smiling despite the twinge of pain as he tried to keep up with her. He'd won. He always won. Nobody loved him and he knew it. Delores didn't love him either which meant he was right. He liked being right.

The car flew down the road at a scary pace, weaving in and out of the heavy city traffic, barely stopping for red lights and taking turns so fast it felt like two of the wheels lifted off the ground. Delores reminded Tony of Cruella de Vil from the movie _101 Dalmatians_. He snickered to himself at the thought as the car screeched to a halt in front of a building he knew all too well—Child Services. The back door flew open and he once again found himself being dragged by the arm. He stumbled to keep up as they made their way across the parking lot and up to the fourth floor office of his case worker.

Delores blocked the door when he tried to go in. "Sit!" she said sternly, pointing to a chair right outside the office door. "Don't you dare move a muscle."

Tony smiled sweetly at her as he obeyed without question, wanting to goad her just a little bit more. Delores snarled at him before disappearing into the office and slamming the door so hard it got the attention of a few of the nearby social workers.

"D'Arcy, I can't do this anymore. That kid is a nightmare. You have to find Tony somewhere else to go because he's not staying with me. I think he's trying to send me to an early grave and he's doing a pretty darn good job of it."

"Delores, please," D'Arcy begged. "I have nowhere left to send him. Give him one more chance. I'll talk to him."

"No!" Delores said firmly. "I'm done. You can't pay me enough to deal with him."

D'Arcy dropped her head into her hand as Delores stormed out of her office. What was she going to do with Tony now? Bouncing around from place to place wasn't good for him at all. He need stability and structure and more importantly love and understanding. There had to be a solution but she didn't know what it was.

She took a deep breath and let the worry leave her face before stepping into the hallway where Tony was waiting for her. "What'd you do?" she asked calmly as she leaned against the door frame and looked down at Tony. "Delores was pretty upset."

Tony just shrugged, unable to even make eye contact with D'Arcy. He liked her and was ashamed of his failure but not at all upset about being kicked out of the group home.

"Come on in, Tony," D'Arcy said warmly, resting a hand on his shoulder as he stepped into her office.

Tony sat quietly in the chair in the corner, twiddling his thumbs and playing with his fingers while D'Arcy made phone call after phone call. He could tell by her facial expression that she wasn't having much luck finding him another place to live. She hung up the phone one last time and looked dejectedly over at him.

"What am I gonna do with you, baby?" she asked. "Don't you wanna live in a nice house with a nice family?"

Tony's stone-faced expression didn't change at all as he stared at the only person who actually treated him like a human being. He'd grown up in a nice house with a nice family and more money than any kid could possibly spend, but all of it belonged to his father. That didn't matter much to him or his mother but everything had changed after she'd died. He was angry with her for leaving him so soon.

He was mad at his dad too but he wasn't even sure if Senior knew he existed. In all his young life he'd barely exchanged two words with the man. That hadn't changed after his mother had passed—no matter how hard he'd tried. At least he had some control over getting kicked out of the foster homes. It was a lot easier to be sent away for acting out than it was to get sent away because he just wasn't good enough. He'd tried to be good enough for his dad but nothing he ever did seemed to matter.

Nice houses and nice families were scams. They weren't _really_ happy. The dad was always at work and even when he did bother to come home it just made everyone else in the house miserable. That and the people he was close to always abandoned him. Tony may have worn a smile on his face all the time but he didn't believe in happiness.

The only option D'Arcy had left at 8:30 on a Friday night was juvenile hall but she was afraid if she sent him there she'd lose him forever. The last people he needed to be hanging around were young thugs who were too big for their britches so she decided to take a risk that could end in her being reprimanded by her boss. Tony was worth it though.

"Come on, honey," D'Arcy said, retrieving her car keys from her desk drawer. "Grab you bag. Let's go."

Tony followed D'Arcy out to her Ford Taurus, lugging his suitcase behind him. He'd ridden in the car numerous times and each time the nerve-wracking fear of the unknown lessened. He climbed in the backseat and buckled up while she put his suitcase in the floorboard on the other side. The car ride to his potential new home was filled with one way conversation as D'Arcy tried unsuccessfully to engage the boy in conversation. Tony never talked much because he knew no one was really interested in what he had to say. D'Arcy might be interested but he really didn't want to bother her with his 'mindless chatter' as his father had always called it.

After crossing the river D'Arcy took an exit in Alexandria. Tony watched out the window as they turned down a neighborhood street. There were a few groups of kids out enjoying the warm summer night, all of them laughing and having fun. Tony hated them already and started wondering how many kids would be at the next place he was dropped off.

"Wait here, baby," D'Arcy said as she parked behind the truck in the driveway and turned the car off. "I'll be right back."

Being told to wait in the car piqued Tony's curiosity. D'Arcy always took him inside with her. He sat quietly and watched as she walked into the house without even knocking. Maybe she lived there. Maybe she had to stop by her house before taking him somewhere else. Maybe she was going to ask her husband if he could stay with them. Tony tried to tell himself he didn't care about what happened to him but he did and he was a little nervous about what was going on.

D'Arcy stepped into the living room and was relieved to find that Gibbs had had a chance to change out of his work clothes. The fact that he was cooking a steak in his fireplace that late in the evening meant he probably hadn't been home for very long but at least he'd had an opportunity to change. She smiled at him when he turned and looked at her.

"What's up, D'Arcy?" he asked as he poked at the logs in his fireplace. "Come for dinner?"

"I wish," D'Arcy said. "I have a mountain of paperwork back at the office that has to be finished by the end of the day."

"Somethin' happen?"

D'Arcy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to think about the fact that this was Tony's last chance. "Yes, something happened. I have a favor to ask of you, Agent Gibbs, and I'm not gonna try to sugar coat it."

"Okay."

"I have this little boy, Tony, who's been kicked out of just about every foster home and group home in this city. He's nine years old. His mom died when he was eight and his father, well, he loves his money and women more than he loves his son. He left Tony alone in a hotel in Hawaii so he could fly back to the mainland and hook up with a woman."

"No wonder the kid's having problems," Gibbs said.

"He's very smart and very lovable," D'Arcy continued. "He just has so much hurt and anger inside him. I will get down on my knees right here and beg you to take him. It's only temporary, just for the weekend while I try to figure something out. I'll pick him up first thing Monday morning. Please, Agent Gibbs."

"Ya don't have to beg, D'Arcy," Gibbs said with a crooked smile. "I was planning on spending tomorrow on my boat. Am I allowed to take him out on the water?"

"Certainly," D'Arcy answered. "As long as you don't leave the country, you and he can go anywhere you'd like."

"Alright," Gibbs said, "he can stay."

D'Arcy was unable to control her urge to hug the man and threw her arms around him. "I can't tell you how much this means to me. Thank you so much."

"He's must be really bad if you're hugging me," Gibbs joked as he hugged her back. "Is he here?"

"He's in the car. I'll go get him."

Gibbs flipped the steak in his fireplace and poured a little bit of his beer over it while D'Arcy got Tony out of the car. The door opened and closed again and Gibbs turned to find a thin, brown haired, green eyed child staring back at him with a dead look in his eyes and an emotionless expression on his face.

"Hey, bud," he said offering the boy his hand. "My name's Jethro."

Tony looked at the man's big, rough hands then up at his face. He was usually put with women. This guy looked tough but Tony wasn't scared. Well, not _too_ scared. He put his hand in Gibbs' and let the man shake it.

"Make yourself at home," Gibbs said. "Would you like some dinner?"

"Jethro makes the best steak in DC, Tony," D'Arcy said. "You should try it."

Tony sat down on the edge of the outdated couch and shrugged as he looked around the living room. It was kind of bare and a lot of the things looked really old.

"Does he talk?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, he doesn't say very much but he can talk."

Gibbs nodded and pulled the steak out of the fireplace. "Sure you don't wanna eat with us, D'Arcy?"

"Thanks for the invitation but I really need to get going," D'Arcy said. "I can't thank you enough, Agent Gibbs. You're a life saver. You know how to reach me if you have any problems. Tony, you behave yourself, sweetheart. Please."

"I think we're gonna be just fine," Gibbs said, cutting the piece of steak in half and plopping it on a plate for Tony, "right, Tony?"

Tony nodded and took the fork Gibbs offered. The steak smelled delicious and after a month of eating the slop Delores served at the group home he couldn't wait to dig in. Gibbs and D'Arcy watched him attack the piece of meat and shared a smile.

"Bye, D'Arcy," Gibbs said.

"Bye, guys."

Gibbs retrieved another fork from the kitchen before sitting down on the couch next to Tony and digging into his own piece. He watched as the boy devoured the meat and assumed that meant he liked it. He wondered what the kid had done to get himself kicked out of so many foster homes, especially considering how quiet he was.

"So, Tony, what do you like to do?" he asked around a mouthful of steak.

Tony glanced over at Gibbs and shrugged. "Stuff."

"Stuff," Gibbs repeated with a nod. "Sounds like fun. Did D'Arcy tell you we're going out on a boat tomorrow?"

"'kay," Tony said. That sounded kind of fun but he wasn't going to let on to his excitement.

"You ever been out on the water before?"

"Uh-uh."

"I think you'll like it. Do you have any swimming shorts in your suitcase?"

Tony shook his head as he shoved another chunk of steak in his mouth.

"Have you ever been swimming before?"

Another shake of his head. This one was a little more hesitant, as if he were ashamed.

"Do you know how to swim?"

Tony sucked the corner of his lip into his mouth and started nibbling on it. No, he didn't have a clue how to swim but admitting that to this guy would make him feel like a loser. Besides, he didn't want to miss out on the boat trip just because he didn't know how to swim.

"Would you like me to teach you how to swim?" Gibbs asked, gently tugging Tony's lip out from between his teeth.

Tony looked up at Gibbs and as badly as he wanted to shout 'yes! please!' all he could manage was another shrug of his shoulders.

Gibbs glanced at his watch and decided that even though it was getting late they needed to run to the store. At the very least he needed a lifejacket for Tony but he also wanted to grab some things to make the trip a little more kid friendly.

* * *

Tony wasn't exactly sure what time it was when he woke up. It was still pitch black outside but it felt like he'd been sleeping forever. He rolled out of the queen size bed and headed into the en-suite as quietly as he could to empty his bladder. He didn't want to wake Gibbs up and he wasn't exactly sure where the man had gone.

After flushing the toilet he left the bathroom light on and tiptoed back into the bedroom. As quietly as he could he dumped the things Gibbs had bought for him out of the plastic bags the cashier had put them in. After admiring the lifejacket he held his board shorts up against his body and envisioned himself catching a wave. He tried the goggles on and wrapped himself up in his beach towel before laying those on the bed and admiring his new flip flops and tennis shoes. He'd never had so many new things at once before… well, except for school uniforms which he had to keep in pristine condition.

He picked up the desert camo backpack Gibbs had loaned him and carefully packed the goggles and towel in it. The lifejacket wouldn't fit and he was going to wear the board shorts. After deciding he was packed and ready to head out on the water, he grabbed the Marine Corps issue duffle bag Gibbs had given him to replace his falling apart suitcase and started transferring everything. He couldn't wait to show the duffle off to anyone and everyone. It was the real thing they gave all the Marines. Tony had been surprised when the man had given him something so personal and so cool.

After he had everything repacked to his liking, he decided to go explore the house a little bit. He wasn't tired and didn't really want to lay awake in bed until it was time to go. He knew he'd get in trouble if Gibbs caught him but he didn't care. He opened the bedroom door and peeked down the dark hallway. When he didn't see or hear anything, he quietly made his way across the hallway, down the stairs and into the living room.

"Whatcha doin', bud?" Gibbs asked sleepily.

Tony startled and jerked around to find Gibbs sitting up on the couch.

"Thought you were sleeping," Gibbs said with a smile as he turned the lamp on.

"Thought you were sleepin' too," Tony said.

"I was. I sleep on the couch."

"I was just gonna watch TV," Tony explained, waiting for the man to get furious and start yelling at him for getting out of bed.

Gibbs yawned and patted the cushion next to him. "I don't get many TV channels, kiddo. I doubt there's anything other than infomercials on right now. How about we read a book instead?"

"I'm not good at reading," Tony confessed quietly.

"That's okay." Gibbs left Tony on the couch and dug around in his bookcase until he found the book he was looking for, _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_,a chapter book with pictures on each page. "My dad used to read this to me when I was around your age."

"What's it about?" Tony asked curiously.

"It's about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn and all the adventures they had," Gibbs answered as he opened the book.

As Gibbs read, Tony scooted closer and closer, studying every picture and hanging on every word of the story. He was so engrossed in the book he didn't even notice he was leaning against Gibbs or that Gibbs had wrapped his arm around him. As exciting as the story was, exhaustion eventually won out and Tony fell asleep on Gibbs' shoulder. Gibbs laid him down, covered him with a sheet and headed upstairs to take a shower before he started packing for their trip.

* * *

Their trek to the marina started off a little later than Gibbs had planned after the late night shopping trip had pushed bedtime back and Tony's middle of the night adventure but Gibbs didn't mind. Boating was all about peace and relaxation and not at all about rushing or timetables. Tony proudly wore the backpack that was nearly twice his size as he helped Gibbs lug the cooler down the dock to the boat. After another trip to the truck to get the rest of their things, they were off.

Gibbs got Tony started on putting their refrigerated items in the small fridge below deck while he navigated the boat down the Potomac River. Curiosity got the better of the nine year old and when he was done unpacking the cooler he peeked behind all the doors below deck. There was a tiny kitchen and a booth like you'd find in a restaurant, a bedroom with a bed that looked really cozy built into the wall, a small bathroom and a long, padded bench seat along the wall under the port holes. The whole space was warm and inviting.

He headed up the stairs to find Gibbs, wondering if he'd get in trouble for being gone too long. The guy had probably figured out that he wasn't spending all that time putting their stuff in the fridge. Maybe he was finally going to yell at him. It had been over twelve hours since D'Arcy had dropped him off and he hadn't been yelled at once. That had to be breaking some kind of record. Of course this guy didn't seem so easy to upset either. If any of his other foster parents had found him wandering around the house in the middle of the night he would've been punished.

"Hey, kiddo," Gibbs said. "Did ya check everything out down there?"

Apparently he wasn't going to yell at him for being nosy and snooping either. Tony looked up at Gibbs and nodded.

"Did you get all the stuff in the cooler put into the fridge?"

Another nod.

"Good job, bud. Thank you."

"Where are we?" Tony asked quietly.

"We're in the Chesapeake Bay," Gibbs answered, bringing the boat to a stop and dropping anchor. "When you're up here with me, I want you to have your lifejacket on. The water's a little choppy and I don't wanna worry about you going overboard. Deal?"

Tony looked out at the small white capped waves and felt the movement of the boat and nodded.

"Let's put some sunscreen on first. Are you gonna keep your shirt on or do you want to take it off?"

"Off," Tony answered.

"Okay, go ahead and take it off," Gibbs said, removing his shirt as well. It was a beautiful day to be on the water. Not too hot and not too cold.

He put a glob of sunscreen in Tony's hand and let the boy rub it over his own chest while he helped him get his back, shoulders and arms. When he gently captured Tony's chin between his thumb and first two fingers so he could do his face, Tony tensed and grabbed onto Gibbs' arm. His eyes went wide and Gibbs didn't miss the flash of panic.

"Easy," Gibbs said. "I was just gonna put sunscreen on your face."

Tony released Gibbs' arm and looked away, embarrassed about his reaction.

"Has somebody jerked you around by the chin before, Tony?"

One of his foster moms had when he wouldn't look at her but that was his fault. Gibbs didn't really need to know about that. "I wasn't abused," he offered up.

"Okay," Gibbs said, though he doubted Tony even understood the definition of the word abuse. He'd spent over an hour reading the kid's file after he'd put him to bed the previous night. D'Arcy kept good records on the kids she was in charge of and some of the explanations for bruises, cuts and scrapes didn't make sense to him. He knew the stories parents came up with to hide the abuse and neglect happening to the children in their care and abuse was a huge problem in the foster care system.

"I'm just bad," Tony continued when Gibbs didn't say anything else.

"I don't think you're bad," Gibbs countered. "You haven't been bad the whole time you've been with me."

Tony's mouth dropped open in surprise. Of course he'd been bad! He'd roamed around the house in the middle of the night, awakened Gibbs, snooped in the boat, he didn't look at Gibbs when he spoke and sometimes he didn't even answer the man's questions.

"Try to hold still so I don't get sunscreen in your eyes," Gibbs said. He wouldn't hold onto the kid's chin if it frightened him.

When Gibbs finished putting sunscreen on Tony, he helped him get his lifejacket on and fastened. The nine year old put up no argument about wearing it. It was a lot sleeker and more comfortable than the ones that had been around when Gibbs was a kid. Plus he'd spent a little more for the stylish red and gray one Tony had been eyeballing.

"Ready to head out into the ocean?" Gibbs asked.

"'kay," Tony whispered, still shaken by his reaction to Gibbs touching his face.

Gibbs led Tony over to where his map and sea charts were all laid out near the helm. He ignored the sea charts and pointed at the map, involving Tony in the journey. "Know how to read a map? What's this N for?"

"North," Tony answered.

"Yep. What are the other three directions on the compass?"

"South and east and… um, west?"

"Good," Gibbs said, extending the lines of the compass and writing out the directions. "We're right here in Chesapeake Bay and we're going over here to the Atlantic Ocean. Look at the compass and tell me which way we need to go."

Tony looked at where Gibbs' fingers were on the map then pointed to the appropriate direction on the compass.

"What does it say?" Gibbs asked. "Which direction is that?"

"I don't know how to read," Tony said, already starting to tense with frustration.

"Sound it out, buddy," Gibbs encouraged.

Tony looked at the word and frowned. He hated reading and he hated school and this was his summer vacation. Why did he have to read? "Eee. Eeee."

"Yep. Which of the directions starts with an E sound?"

Tony went over the directions in his head before looking up at Gibbs and smiling. "East?"

"Very good. See? You know how to read!"

"We're going east?" Tony asked.

"Yep but we gotta get the boat turned facing east first. Here's the compass, here's the steering wheel. Let's raise the anchor then you can get us turned in the right direction."

"Me?" Tony asked. He didn't know where to panic or be thrilled. What if he sunk the boat and they both drowned?

"You'll do fine," Gibbs said confidently as he raised the anchor. "What letter's gonna pop up on the compass when we're going the right way?"

"A E?"

"Yep. The anchor's raised. Go for it."

Tony could feel them moving again and tried not panic. Gibbs guided his hands to the helm then stepped back and let him figure it out.

"Slow and steady. Don't turn it too hard or too fast."

Tony started turning the wheel and watched as the N turned to a W. He kept going until he saw the S then looked up at Gibbs for confirmation that he was doing it right. Had he passed the E? It felt like he'd been turning for a long time.

"Keep going," Gibbs encouraged.

Tony turned the wheel a little more and the E finally came into view. "This way?" he asked with a smile.

"Good job," Gibbs praised, not caring in the least that they'd just made a small circle in the bay. The look of accomplishment on Tony's face was worth fifty circles.

Tony helped Gibbs steer until they'd gone over the big underwater bridge that connected Virginia Beach to Cape Charles. He was fascinated by how the road could just disappear into the water like that and come out on the other side. They waved goodbye to land when they passed into the Atlantic Ocean then Tony decided he wanted to check out the top deck while Gibbs' navigated the boat.

It didn't take long before Tony decided to push the limits and see if he could get Gibbs to yell him. He was baffled by the man's patience but undeterred in his quest to prove that nobody could possibly love him. He made sure he was in Gibbs' eye line then walked over to the side of the boat, unvelcroed the front of his shorts and started peeing into the ocean. Instead of yelling at him, Gibbs waited for him to finish then called him over and put his hands on the wheel.

"Keep us pointed east," he said tapping the compass. He walked over to the other side of the boat and relieved his bladder exactly as Tony had done.

Tony narrowed his eyes in confusion, unable to figure out what was happening. This guy wasn't like any of the other people he'd been stuck with. He had another trick up his sleeve though. He would prove to himself and the world that he was unlovable. His mom hadn't loved him enough to not die, his father hadn't loved him enough to realize he'd forgotten him in that hotel on Maui, none of those foster people loved him enough to even be nice to him and there was no way this guy could love him.

"Thank you," Gibbs said when he returned. "Are ya gettin' hungry?"

Tony realized he was a little hungry and nodded his head. It had been a long time since breakfast.

Gibbs decided they were far enough out and dropped anchor. Land was barely visible on the horizon and there wasn't another boat in sight. He led the way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Do you want a bottle of water, a Capri-sun or some milk to go with your sandwich?" Gibbs asked.

"Coke."

"Nice try. I didn't bring any Coke."

Tony stood in the booth and peeked into the refrigerator Gibbs was holding open. "Capri-sun," he answered.

"Good choice." Gibbs put a sandwich and the drink in front of Tony then grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water for himself and a bag of chips for them to share before sitting down across from Tony. "Do you want to stay the night on the boat or would you rather play in the water and then go back to house?"

The question only made Tony more curious about this guy. Gibbs was letting him pick what they were going to do? He'd seen the bed but he didn't realize you could actually spend the night on a boat. That kind of sounded like fun. "Stay," he said unsurely. Was Gibbs really going to let him choose or was this some sort of cruel trick?

"After our lunch settles we'll get in the water then maybe grill some hotdogs for dinner. How does that sound?"

Wow. Gibbs _was_ letting him pick. Tony shrugged his shoulders and put the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth.

Gibbs and Tony made themselves comfortable on the bench seating to continue reading their book while they waited for their lunch to settle. Tony was once again drawn into the story and inspired by the characters' adventure. He wished he could have that kind of free reign over his life and he'd love to have friends like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, even if they did fight sometimes.

The afternoon was spent playing in the ocean. Gibbs taught Tony how to ride his invisible bicycle and wave his arms to stay afloat and how swim on his back and his tummy. The lifejacket made it easier and a lot less stressful and the small waves pushing them around made it fun.

Chilled from the coolness of the water and worn out from swimming, Gibbs dragged Tony into the boat, wrapped him in his beach towel and sat him near the grill while he made dinner. They watched the sunset while they ate and by the time they were finished it was pitch black.

"It's so dark," Tony said softly. "You can't even see where the sky ends and the water starts."

"Is that cool or scary?" Gibbs asked, collecting their trash.

"Both, I think."

"I think so too. What do you think about all those stars in the sky?"

"There's so many."

"Mm-hmm. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah."

They headed below deck when Tony couldn't stop yawning and started having trouble keeping his eyes open. Tony changed into the pajamas Gibbs had packed, just in case they decided to spend the night on the boat, then laid down in bed.

"If you wake up in the night and decide you wanna go up top, I want you to wake me up," Gibbs instructed as he sat in the bed next to Tony. "It's really dark up there at night and I don't want you to get confused and fall overboard. Okay?"

Tony yawned and nodded his head as he looked at Gibbs with sleepy eyes.

"Will you promise me?"

"I promise," Tony said. "Where're you gonna sleep?"

"Out on the bench seat we read the story on earlier. I'll leave the light in the kitchen on so you can find your way around."

Tony nodded and yawned so big his eyes were forced closed. When they didn't open after the yawn ended Gibbs tucked him in, patted his chest and headed out to get some rest.

* * *

"Eating cereal on a boat is tricky," Gibbs said as he filled Tony's bowl of Frosted Flakes with milk. "If you don't hold onto it, it might end up on the floor." Both we rejuvenated after an uninterrupted night of sleep. Gibbs always slept well on the water and it appeared Tony did too.

When Gibbs went into the kitchen to put the milk back in the fridge, Tony pulled his plastic frog out of his pocket and slipped it into the man's bowl. If that didn't force him to yell and scream then nothing would. He was limited to what kind of havoc he could cause on the boat but plastic snakes, bugs and dog poo in people's food always did the trick.

"Did ya sleep well?" Gibbs asked when he returned.

Tony nodded his head, keeping a straight face and watching for Gibbs' reaction out of the corner of his eye.

The frog didn't appear on Gibbs' spoon until his second bite of cereal. He glanced across the table at Tony with an amused smirk on his face. "I might've eaten it if you'd chopped it's legs off and fried 'em in butter," he said with a wink.

Tony's tight lipped expression broke into a smile at Gibbs' words. He concluded that there was no way Gibbs a foster parent. The exhaustion and frustration clearly evident on the faces of all the people who'd cared for him in the past was nowhere to be found on Gibbs' face, no matter what he did and he never screamed and yelled.

Gibbs smiled back as he put the frog next to Tony's bowl. Judging by the genuine grin on Tony's face, he was finally starting to break through the kid's tough, defensive exterior.

After breakfast they decided to fish for a little while but when they didn't have much luck they abandoned the idea. Gibbs pulled anchor and let Tony steer the boat anywhere he wanted while he kept an eye on the nautical charts to keep them safe. The boy was still quiet and guarded but Gibbs felt like he was making progress.

By the time they made it back to the marina, got the boat squared away and headed towards the house the sun was rapidly falling out of sight. Gibbs stopped at the small pizza shop near his house for a quick, easy dinner and was surprised when Tony ate more than he did. How this kid ate like he did and had a waistline that barely kept his shorts up, Gibbs didn't know. He could only hope Tony wasn't scarfing food because he wasn't getting enough at his foster homes.

After a shower and several more chapters of their book Tony was snoring softly into Gibbs' chest. Gibbs marked their spot, laid the book on the nightstand and curled Tony's arm around a pillow instead of his chest. He slipped out of bed, tucked the boy in and kissed the top of his head before turning the light off and leaving the room.

* * *

D'Arcy wasn't thrilled with her solution for Tony but it was better than the alternative which was juvenile hall. She knew Gibbs got moving early on work days so she stopped for coffee and arrived at his house just after 7:00. She rang the doorbell and Gibbs answered with Tony standing halfway up the stairs staring at her.

"Mornin'. Thank you," Gibbs said accepting the coffee.

"Tony, I've got some strawberry milk for you in the car. How was your weekend?"

Tony just stared blankly at the woman which was nothing new to her.

"Can you go get your bags, baby?" D'Arcy asked.

Tony disappeared up the stairs while Gibbs led D'Arcy into the living room.

"What'd you figure out?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"I found him a spot in a foster home in a small jurisdiction a little north of us," D'Arcy said. "Technically we don't like to move kids out of their original jurisdiction but that's more for financial reasons than it is for the wellbeing of the kids. How was he?"

"He did fine," Gibbs said. "He played a couple pranks, tested me, tried to draw some negative attention but I turned it into positive attention and he relaxed and I think he had fun. I hope he had fun."

"I wish I could get those kind of reports from his foster homes," D'Arcy said.

"It was probably the one on one attention he got from me," Gibbs said. "He didn't have to compete for my time. Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything."

"Is he eating?"

"As far as I know," D'Arcy said. "Why? Was he not eating for you?"

"Just the opposite," Gibbs said. "He wolfed down everything I put in front of him."

"I'll certainly keep an eye on that," D'Arcy said, concern evident in her voice. She pulled out her tablet and made a note in Tony's file. "I know the food isn't always the best at that group home. They serve cafeteria style and as short staffed as they are they don't have a lot of time to hide themselves away in the kitchen and focus solely on cooking."

"It could just be a growth spurt," Gibbs said. "I'd just like to make sure he's taken care of."

"You and me both, Agent Gibbs."

"Is there a chance his father could come back for him?" Gibbs asked. He kicked himself as soon as the question left his mouth. He'd told himself he wasn't going to get involved and not because he didn't care. He hadn't intended on getting involved because his heart ached for the little boy and that made him vulnerable but he couldn't just let Tony keep getting bounced around from home to home. Not when he had the power to change it.

"Doubtful," D'Arcy answered. "He ended up getting out of the abandonment charge with a big wad of cash but he hasn't inquired about Tony once."

"What would it take for me to adopt him?" Gibbs asked, lowering his voice even more.

"Jethro, I didn't bring him here to guilt you into adopting him," D'Arcy said.

"I know," Gibbs said. "Shannon and I always talked about either adopting or fostering needy kids. We never had the means to do it while she was alive. I have the means now and I think Tony definitely meets the needy kid criteria. Foster care isn't working for him, D'Arcy. You said it yourself."

"Yeah, but are you absolutely sure?"

"My only hesitation comes from making the decision so quickly but my gut tells me Tony belongs here. I can give him everything he needs. This is the right thing to do. Yes, I'm sure."

"It looks like Tony's finally going to be getting that break he deserves. He's lucky to have you."

"I'll be lucky to have him too," Gibbs said. "Can we tell him right now?"

"Sure," D'Arcy said. "I can't wait to see the look on his face."

"Tony," Gibbs called, "how ya doin' up there, kiddo?"

He and D'Arcy exchanged a look when there was no response. The fact that Tony was being quiet wasn't anything different but they didn't even hear his footsteps.

"I'll go get him," Gibbs said.

Panic rose when Gibbs made it to his bedroom and found a sheet tied to the headboard of the bed and hanging out the window. Tony's bags were still on the bed but the closet, bathroom and bedroom were empty. Gibbs was almost afraid of what he'd see if he looked out the window but he knew he had to do it. When he poked his head out, he was happy to see that Tony wasn't lying on the ground hurt but worried about where he might've gone.

"Where is he?" D'Arcy asked, now standing behind Gibbs in the master bedroom.

"He's not up here," Gibbs said. "Looks like he used the sheets as rope and climbed down the side of the house. Does he have a habit of running away?"

"No. Never."

"We gotta find him," Gibbs said.

"I need to call this in," D'Arcy said. "Your neighborhood's about to be flooded with cops."

"Do it," Gibbs said before racing down the stairs, grabbing his car keys and hurrying out the front door.

* * *

Anger and adrenaline fueled Tony as he ran down street after street, turning on occasion and ignoring the blare of car horns whenever he crossed in front of oncoming traffic. He didn't care if he got hit by a car. He didn't care if it killed him. He didn't care about anything anymore. For once he'd found somewhere he might be happy and now he had to leave. He was going to end up at some other crappy house with crappy parents and a million other crappy kids and once he got kicked out of that one he'd go to another and another and another. He didn't want to do this anymore.

Why did his mom have to die? Why did his dad have to forget him in that stupid hotel? Why did those hotel people have to tell the cops that he'd been abandoned? Where was his dad? Why wasn't he rescuing him from all these crappy homes? Why did Gibbs have to be so nice to him and make him believe there were good people in the world only to turn his back on him a day later? Why?!

A few stray tears escaped but he just brushed them away and continued running. He could see a city bus stopping to let someone off at the end of the block. He ran even faster and squeezed through the back door just as it was closing. Everyone was too busy playing with their smart phones and reading the newspaper to even notice him.

He made his way to the last row and tucked himself away in the corner. He wasn't going to some other home. He was never going back to another one of those homes. None of them wanted him and he didn't want them. He hated them!

The scream that involuntarily tore through his body drew the attention of some of the other passengers. When a woman approached him with concern in her eyes he pulled the string to signal a stop and raced off before anyone could stop him. He looked around and realized they'd made it downtown but beyond that he wasn't exactly sure where he was. Nothing looked familiar.

A bank of TVs in a pawn shop had a breaking news report about an amber alert for a missing kid. Tony paused long enough to see his picture on the alert and looked around nervously. He suddenly felt as if everyone was staring at him. He took off running again as the paranoia grew. He was so busy looking all around him to make sure no one was following him that he didn't see the cop standing on the sidewalk waiting to intercept him and ended up running right into him. His flailing arms and wild kicks were easily subdued by the man three times his size.

"It's okay, kid. I'm a cop. You're safe."

"Let me go!" Tony screamed. "I hate you!"

"Aw, you don't even know me," Officer Hyde said.

"Lemme go!"

"Can't do that. Half the city's been looking for you for the last two hours."

"Fine," Tony growled, feeding on his anger. "Take me to jail." Something had finally snapped in him and he felt completely out of control.

"I'm not taking you to jail, kid," Hyde said. "I'm gonna take you down to the station so your social worker can come get you."

"I'd rather go to jail," Tony said defiantly. "I can handle it. Put me with the big boys!"

"Funny stuff, junior, but you don't wanna go to jail. Trust me."

"Yes I do!"

"Alright. Alright. Hop in the car."

"So we could go to jail?"

"All the big boys have to be interrogated before we take 'em jail," Hyde said. "If you wanna go to jail you're gonna have to be interrogated first too."

"Fine!"

"Fine. Hop in."

* * *

"Where is he?" Gibbs asked, out of breath from fear, panic and running through the precinct. D'Arcy was right behind him and also breathing heavy.

"He insisted I throw him in jail. 'Put him with the big boys,' he said—"

"You didn't," Gibbs interrupted.

"Of course not," Officer Hyde said. "He's in interrogation. Come with me. I told him all the big boys had to be interrogated before we took 'em to jail. It seemed to be the only way to satisfy him."

"How the hell did he get downtown?" Gibbs asked, following the DC Metro cop through the halls.

"We got a couple phone calls that some passengers on one of the busses had seen him. He must've snuck on and hopped off when they noticed him."

"Is he okay?"

"Oh yeah. Mad as hell, but okay."

"This is so out of character for him," D'Arcy said. "He's always so quiet and cooperative."

"He wasn't quiet with me," Hyde said. "The kid's entertaining, I'll give him that, but he's hurting and there's nothin' funny about that."

They stepped into the observation room and Gibbs narrowed his eyes when he didn't see Tony through the two way glass.

"He's sitting right under the mirror so we can't see him," Hyde said. "He's smart. I've never even had a criminal figure that move out."

"Wait here," Gibbs told D'Arcy. "Let me talk to him."

"Okay."

Gibbs stepped out of the observation room and knocked softly on the door to interrogation. He opened the door and poked his head in, smiling softly when he saw Tony. "Hey, kiddo."

Tony looked up at him for a moment before his eyes returned to his lap.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shrugged. He was kind of surprised to see Gibbs there. He'd figured the guy had already forgotten about him.

Gibbs sat down and mirrored Tony's position, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "I was really scared when I noticed you were missing. Why'd you run off, buddy?"

"I'm going to jail," Tony insisted.

"You're not going to jail, Tony. You didn't do anything to get you thrown in jail."

Tony rested his head on his knees facing away from Gibbs, trying to hide his tears. Everything suddenly seemed like too much for him to handle.

When Gibbs heard the sniffle he started rubbing the boy's back. "Talk to me, Tony. Tell me why you're so upset."

"I hate everybody!"

"Why?"

"Because they hate me. Mom hates me and dad hates me and all those ladies and guys and kids and everybody hates me!"

The tears were flowing freely by the time he was done shouting. Gibbs wrapped his arm around the shaking child and held him close.

"Why do you think they hate you, Tony?"

"They left me all alone," Tony shrieked in a tone that implied Gibbs should've known the answer to that question without asking. "Now you're leaving me alone too. We didn't even finish the book. What's gonna happen to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn?"

Gibbs rested his head on top of Tony's and held him while he cried. He was guessing the kid had bottled up his emotions up for a long time and wanted to give him an opportunity to get everything out.

"Do you think he even notices I'm gone?" Tony sniffed.

"Who?"

"Dad."

"I think he does," Gibbs answered, unsure about what or how much to tell him. "I think that maybe he thought he couldn't take very good care of you so he decided to let some other people take of you."

"I think he just didn't want me. He never wanted me, just like all those other people. What's gonna happen to me when nobody wants me anymore?"

"I want you, Tony," Gibbs said. "I think you're a pretty cool guy and D'Arcy and I were talking about you staying with me. How does that sound?"

Tony wiped his nose across his arm then turned his head so he was facing Gibbs. "For how long?"

"For as long as you want," Gibbs answered, trying to give Tony a little bit of control.

"Does that mean you don't hate me?"

"No matter what happens, I'll never hate you, Tony."

"Will I be your favorite even if you get a hundred more kids?"

"You'll always be my favorite and I'm not gonna get any more kids. You're the only kid I need."

"Promise?"

"I promise, just you and me." Gibbs continued rubbing Tony's back while he sat quietly, contemplating the offer. Gibbs knew it would all come down to whether or not the boy felt could trust him. "I like it when you talk to me." It was the first conversation without head shakes and shoulder shrugs he'd had with Tony since they'd met.

Tony peered up at Gibbs through watery, green eyes and smiled. It would be nice to have someone to talk to again. He and his mom had talked all the time until she'd gotten sick.

"What do ya say, kiddo?" Gibbs asked wiping the last remnants of tears from Tony's cheeks.

"I wanna live with you."

"I'm glad to hear that," Gibbs said, hugging Tony to his side and dropping a kiss on his head. "You think we can skip going to jail today?"

"Yeah," Tony said with a little giggle.

"Me too," Gibbs agreed. "Come on, Tony. Lets' go home."

**End.**


End file.
